Being asked to evaluate performance of perm staff

[rootsnall]

Maybe stick a recommendation for something nice like "He has shown an active interest in learning about technology X so he would be a great candidate to send on a training course"..

Nice touch !

[chicane]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and ideas.

I think it's one for some off the record blah blah blah, say they both appear competent, defo say nothing negative, then a bit more blah blah blah ! Job done.

I agree with rootsnall.

Spend 5 minutes typing up a bit of blah, blah, very competent, pleasure to work with, blah, blah.

What rootsnall is suggesting runs with my gut feeling of the best approach to this. However, I'm not (as DieScum has suggested) keen on putting anything in writing - I think it'll have to be a phone conversation to keep things as off the record as possible!

The only safe way to do this (assuming it has to be done!) is to get an addition to your contract to cover the currently out-of-scope work and ensure it makes clear you are making these comments anonymously, your assessment will stick to objective criteria and any subsequent actions based on them are entirely the responibility of the client.

Mal, I agree 100% with everything you've said in principle - however ClientCo is the kind of place (like many places these days) where they don't really "get" contracting as you and I see it. Their default expectation is that contractors will behave in the same manner as FTEs, and more than a certain degree of resistance against this is generally perceived as the contractor being resistant and stubborn just for the sake of it.

I'm therefore constantly treading a fine line between retaining my independent status as a contractor and meeting their expectations in terms of conduct and behaviour. Any shenanigans like those you've suggested above would no doubt be interpreted as "blah blah blah... irrelevant defiant mumbo jumbo" and be met with a blank stare.

[Glazza]

Was asked to do this today. Took 5 mins and frankly I was helping them out by giving them something to put on the form. So I only see an upside to this. It's just a going through the motions and a tick box exercise anway. Nobody will get fired or for that matter promoted based on what I say.